


life coloured crimson

by shanlyrical



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Character Study, First Meetings, Gen, Recruitment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-10
Updated: 2020-08-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:33:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25688875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shanlyrical/pseuds/shanlyrical
Summary: A clone trooper proves himself worthy of a promotion.Or: the first time Fox meets Palpatine.
Relationships: CC-1010 | Fox & Sheev Palpatine | Darth Sidious
Comments: 3
Kudos: 37
Collections: Clone Wars Saved Exchange 2020





	life coloured crimson

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Millberry_5](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Millberry_5/gifts).



“He’s here! His ship has just landed!”

The news swept through the barracks faster than a plasma fire, and all of a sudden every clone trooper who’d been treating his first morning after a decisive victory as an excuse to sleep late and otherwise act like an old nerf put to pasture was now polishing his plastisteel armor like his very life depended upon being able to see a brother’s face reflected in the spit-shine.

CT-1010, also known as “Fox,” was something less than amused by these antics. He belonged to the first approved batch of Fett clones to reach maturity on Kamino, and he was the battalion’s oldest brother. And like older brothers everywhere, Fox was an expert at acting responsibly wherever the young might be inclined to shirk or cut corners. This meant that _he_ had been awake since before dawn, reviewing camp security procedures and evaluating the external threat level. He’d been working nonstop for hours, in fact. If the Separatists wanted to strike a grievous blow to the heart and soul of the Galactic Republic, Fox knew, they might well choose to make such an attempt today.

 _Today_ , on the day that Supreme Chancellor Sheev Palpatine had abandoned the comforts and safety of Coruscant to tour the front lines and see for himself how the war effort was progressing. He was also expected to deliver a morale-boosting speech to the battalion. Given firstly that none of the brothers, Fox included, had ever met the Chancellor in person, and secondly that each and every one of them, as clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic, were ultimately answerable to the Chancellor’s authority, it went without saying that this visit was highly anticipated and a source of great excitement.

“He’s here! He’s just arrived at base camp!”

Yeah, ready or not, he was finally here. Fox reviewed his preparations one last time before proceeding to the assembly point to report in along with the rest of his brothers. He had a particular preferred vantage point in mind, and he wanted to be certain he got it.

He did get it.

There was nothing obviously extraordinary about the Chancellor. He was human, male, middle-aged. His hair was thinning and grey. He wore the voluminous, impractical black robes of a politician and a richly embroidered crimson cloak. He did not appear to be particularly athletic, and the skin of his palms was soft and without callouses. His fingernails were well-trimmed. The accent of his speech was cultured. The cast of his expression was pleasant and mild.

And yet. Yet. This was the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic. How could anyone look upon him and see just another ordinary man? _This_ man represented the freedom-loving sentients of an entire galaxy, and it was he whom Fox and his brothers trusted to lead them. _This_ man was Ultimate Commander-and-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, and on his orders the had gone to war. _This_ man with his soft, pampered hands nonetheless held the reins of tremendous, nigh unimaginable amounts of state, military, and – why yes indeed – _persuasive_ power.

The Chancellor hadn’t even bothered to address the clone troopers themselves yet, and already Fox could see: how, by using only his words, by saying only what it pleased his interlocutors to hear, he was having his way again and again and again. He was so skilled, in fact, that it never even occurred to them to question his judgement, even when he was making tactical recommendations absent any personal experience on the battlefield.

“Confederate forces outnumber us by a factor of over one-thousand to one,” Admiral Rhee was explaining to the Chancellor, his chest puffed out almost as much as his ego, “but we have the tactical advantage. Precision targeting of a series of sharply proactive offensives designed to minimize local civil unrest have allowed us to dominate on the battlefront.”

“This is not an ideal situation, however,” the Jedi Master and General Syryllj added, her cool, even tones striving as always for temperance and calm. “Clone casualties have been unacceptably high, and the number of civilians injured is, in my view, shameful. If we were to assume a more defensive footing—”

The Chancellor cut her off politely. “Ah, but Master Jedi, forgive me – we are at war, are we not? I take your point, but defence alone will not save democracy from these Separatist threats within.” He turned his attention from General Syryllj to the Admiral Ree. “Admiral, I am pleased to hear that these – what did you call them, ‘targeted strikes’? – have been so effective. I do wish the circumstances were not so extenuating, but given the circumstances we face, I think it imperative that we study the potential of these tactics further.”

“Fantastic! I agree wholeheartedly,” Admiral Rhee said.

“The Order shall abide by your wishes, Chancellor,” General Syryllj added.

And there it was again. Fox marvelled. The Chancellor was able to charm the Admiral and disarm the Jedi General, and the net effect of both was an expansion of the military. He may _say_ he’s a pacifist when he gives those speeches to the Senate, Fox thought, but really—

And that was when the would-be assassin revealed himself, blaster canon at the ready and pointed at the Chancellor. Admiral Rhee froze in shock, and the General Syryllj leapt to protect the Chancellor, but Fox – who was stood in exactly the right place at the right time – got to the assassin first. Thanks to his preparations, he’d figured that an attempt on the Chancellor’s life, were it to come, was likely to come from this direction.

The would-be assassin was neutralized with a single bolt of Fox’s blaster.

* * *

The Chancellor’s speech to the battalion was not the morale-boosting but basically empty oratory that Fox had expected. Instead, the Chancellor made them all an offer that, given the potential prestige, there was not the slightest chance they would refuse: take what they’d learnt while fighting the enemy on the front lines and use that hard-won expertise to maintain law and order on Coruscant. The battalion would be renamed the Coruscant Guard.

“These are trying times, and enemies who would destroy our way of life are a constant threat to us from within,” the Chancellor said. “The Republic is in dire need of the security you would provide, Commander Fox.”

A Commander! Fox thought. Had he heard that correctly? Yes, he had – he’d just been named Commander! Ah, but this was only right, of course. He had been prepared, and because he had been prepared the life of the Chancellor had been saved.

“It will be my honour to serve, sir,” Fox said.


End file.
